Midway Arcade Treasures (Xbox)

Of these games Williams' are the oldest and most revered, with titles such as Defender, Robotron 2084 and Joust coming from the golden age of arcade games and guided by the hand of coin-op genius Eugene Jarvis. These games, along with lesser titles and follow-ups such as Defender II, Joust 2, Smash TV, Blaster, Sinistar and Splat!, mark Williams as the most gifted of American coin-op developers and all of the games are presented here exactly as they used to be--with 20-year-old graphics but timeless gameplay.

Bally's Spy Hunter, Rampage and Root Beer Tapper came a few years later and are still entertaining today, although Satan's Hollow is pretty much the only stinker in the whole package. Then there's the "newest" titles from Atari such as multi-player classic Gauntlet plus Paperboy, Marble Madness, Roadblasters, Rampart, 720, Super Sprint, Toobin', Klax and Vindicators.

The only disappointment of this collection is that although some of these games have video clip interviews and the odd scanned in promotional image the actual presentation and menu systems are very cheaply done. This doesn't take away from the classic beauty of the games themselves though. This compilation a must for collectors and anyone else interested in a time when gameplay really was more important than graphics. --David Jenkins

It may be the opinion of a few that these games are now obsolete relics, merely collecting dust on the bottom shelf. This is simply not the case. Even after all these years they offer ultimate enjoyment, unquestionable entertainment and above all are downright fun. I use the word they as a collective for some 24 games, each a glittering jewel in the impressive crown Midway has created.

Modern gamers, and I include myself in that bracket, owe it to them-selves to discover where it all began. This, in essence, is the birth of video gaming. Defender the inspiration for Halo, Super Sprint the afflatus for Gran Turismo, you bet. And for the elder gamer out there, what better chance to invoke old memories and to rekindle the passion once shared for games such as these?

These games have been compelled to rely solely and utterly upon sheer playability and wow does it deliver in this respect. From the frenetic mayhem that is Super Smash TV, which induced me to a state of panic stricken frenzy, to the gripping complexity that can be Klax. The diversity of genres on offer is astounding; there really is something here for everyone, young or old.

Presentation is not this packages' strong point but when the fundamentals of the game play are so well constructed as this, who cares, you are simply having to much fun and are immersed to deeply in the absorbing action to even notice any rough edges or glitches of which there are few.

So for anyone who shares my old caution I urge you to lay your prejudice aside and to unearth that special enjoyment to be found in this package. It bought so much to gaming then and can now be bought back to life once more to fondle the memories of old or even to entrance a whole new generation.